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#1
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what's a good country for a homebuilt aircraft?
Hello group,
this may be a bit of an odd question. I currently live in the Netherlands and I'm looking to relocate. I've long wanted to learn to fly and build a light (experimental and/or ultralight) airplane and I'm wondering which countries would be well suited for that, economically and with regards to permits/licenses. Is the topic of learning to fly / acquiring a license better seen separately from the topic homebuilding / owning an airplane? I have a couple of cliche ideas about what may be good locations but I thought I'd raise the question because there might be choices I haven't considered. TIA, Lukas |
#2
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I currently live in the Netherlands and I'm looking to relocate.
I've long wanted to learn to fly and build a light (experimental and/or ultralight) airplane and I'm wondering which countries would be well suited for that, economically and with regards to permits/licenses. The US seems to be in the lead, but the Australian regulations just loosened up a whole lot. Don't know about the relative cost of living, taxes, and all that, or where the kits, fuel, etc, are cheaper. US insurance and liability are out of control, though. Maybe somebody else knows. Ed Wischmeyer |
#3
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Canada is good to us homebuilders. The only downside is the $0.70 Canadian
dollar. We have an 'advanced ultralight' regulatory category which is a real loophole for heavy two-passenger 'ultralights' - which are actually anything under 1200lbs. Licensing for these can be a Rec pilot permit or Ultralight-instructor rating. For a homebuilt 1200lbs our regs are simlar to the US, but without the liability issues, one extra pre-closeout inspection and the Rec pilot permit makes life easier to fly anywhere in Canada with 1 passenger, non-complex, day VFR only. Cheers, Pete Europa A239 "Ed Wischmeyer" wrote in message ... I currently live in the Netherlands and I'm looking to relocate. I've long wanted to learn to fly and build a light (experimental and/or ultralight) airplane and I'm wondering which countries would be well suited for that, economically and with regards to permits/licenses. The US seems to be in the lead, but the Australian regulations just loosened up a whole lot. Don't know about the relative cost of living, taxes, and all that, or where the kits, fuel, etc, are cheaper. US insurance and liability are out of control, though. Maybe somebody else knows. Ed Wischmeyer |
#4
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Ed Wischmeyer wrote in
: I currently live in the Netherlands and I'm looking to relocate. I've long wanted to learn to fly and build a light (experimental and/or ultralight) airplane and I'm wondering which countries would be well suited for that, economically and with regards to permits/licenses. The US seems to be in the lead, but the Australian regulations just loosened up a whole lot. Don't know about the relative cost of living, taxes, and all that, or where the kits, fuel, etc, are cheaper. US insurance and liability are out of control, though. Maybe somebody else knows. Thanks Ed, if I'm not mistaken the US knows the category "Experimental Aircraft" for homebuilts. Am I right to assume that category exists in Australia as well? I'm wondering if an equivalent category exists somewhere in Europe, as both US and Australia are relatively difficult for me (EU citizen). Insurance (and liability), is that the biggest cost factor in owning a homebuilt plane? If you compare home-building to buying a used production aircraft, are the insurance costs a lot higher for homebuilts? |
#5
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On 19 Sep 2003 14:21:56 GMT, Lukas wrote:
Insurance (and liability), is that the biggest cost factor in owning a homebuilt plane? If you compare home-building to buying a used production aircraft, are the insurance costs a lot higher for homebuilts? Both are only high if they catch you. :-) Seriously, I suspect insurance doesn't cost that much different than elsewhere. I pay ~$450/year for liability coverage, and not-in-flight hull and in-flight hull would each run about 1.5% of the value of the airplane per year. And, as has been discussed in this group before, the liability fears are more of a potential than a real-world threat. Even then, it could only potentially be a problem when you sell the airplane and if the airplane has an accident and if you're still living in the states and if the person who thinks they are due damages can find an attorney who'd think the odds are good enough to justify taking the case on a contingency basis. The odds of actually getting sued are incredibly slim. Ron Wanttaja |
#6
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"Pete" wrote in
: Canada is good to us homebuilders. The only downside is the $0.70 Canadian dollar. We have an 'advanced ultralight' regulatory category which is a real loophole for heavy two-passenger 'ultralights' - which are actually anything under 1200lbs. Licensing for these can be a Rec pilot permit or Ultralight-instructor rating. For a homebuilt 1200lbs our regs are simlar to the US, but without the liability issues, one extra pre-closeout inspection and the Rec pilot permit makes life easier to fly anywhere in Canada with 1 passenger, non-complex, day VFR only. Very interesting, the 1200lbs. category. In US regulations, I recall a maximum speed in level flight for Ultralights, which was pretty low (don't recall the precise figure, something like 60mph), but I might be mixing something up there. Do you know if the Canadian "advanced ultralight" category has a speed limit? So far, good to homebuilders: US, Canada, Australia. A bit as I expected. Does anyone know about the conditions for homebuilders in Europe? |
#7
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Very interesting, the 1200lbs. category. In US regulations, I recall a maximum speed in level flight for Ultralights, which was pretty low (don't recall the precise figure, something like 60mph), but I might be mixing something up there. Do you know if the Canadian "advanced ultralight" category has a speed limit? So far, good to homebuilders: US, Canada, Australia. A bit as I expected. Does anyone know about the conditions for homebuilders in Europe? Lukas -- France must be pretty good, as they seem to have more homebuilts than anyone else in Europe. Fred in Florida |
#8
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the list of advanced ultralights acceptable here in Canada:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/ge...ncedullist.htm just take your pick. I don't believe there is a max speed, just a min indicated stall speed of 45mph (I think). Cheers, Pete Europa builder A239 "Lukas" wrote in message . 6.83... Do you know if the Canadian "advanced ultralight" category has a speed limit? |
#9
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Le Vendredi 19 Septembre 2003 15:07
Lukas a écrit: I currently live in the Netherlands and I'm looking to relocate. I've long wanted to learn to fly and build a light (experimental and/or ultralight) airplane and I'm wondering which countries would be well suited for that, economically and with regards to permits/licenses. Consider France, you can have an official airport address for the plane. No technical inspection required for ultra light. 3 years between inspections if you built a plane 1 years between inspections if you by an homebuilt plane Some Belgian owner do that. By -- minicab F-PRAZ Philippe Vessaire |
#10
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On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 11:12:40 -0400, Pete wrote:
Canada is good to us homebuilders. The only downside is the $0.70 Canadian dollar. We have an 'advanced ultralight' regulatory category which is a real loophole for heavy two-passenger 'ultralights' - which are actually anything under 1200lbs. Licensing for these can be a Rec pilot permit or Ultralight-instructor rating. For a homebuilt 1200lbs our regs are simlar to the US, but without the liability issues, one extra pre-closeout inspection and the Rec pilot permit makes life easier to fly anywhere in Canada with 1 passenger, non-complex, day VFR only. Cheers, Pete Europa A239 "Ed Wischmeyer" wrote in message ... I currently live in the Netherlands and I'm looking to relocate. I've long wanted to learn to fly and build a light (experimental and/or ultralight) airplane and I'm wondering which countries would be well suited for that, economically and with regards to permits/licenses. The US seems to be in the lead, but the Australian regulations just loosened up a whole lot. Don't know about the relative cost of living, taxes, and all that, or where the kits, fuel, etc, are cheaper. US insurance and liability are out of control, though. Maybe somebody else knows. Ed Wischmeyer Back before the events of 11 Sept 01, I would have said Canada and the US were pretty much a toss up in terms of freedom of flying. Each had their advantadges and disadvantages. But now I think Canada comes out ahead. No pop-up TFRs. No TFRs around nuclear reactors or sporting events. No security Nazis at the TSA. Also, there is a Notice of Proposed Amendment to the Canadian Aviation Regulations that will officially legalize hiring out the building of a homebuilt aircraft (if it ever gets approved). See: http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/RegServ/Affairs/carac/NPAs/MM/Archives/jun01/2001050.htm -- Kevin Horton RV-8 (finishing kit) Ottawa, Canada http://go.phpwebhosting.com/~khorton/rv8/ |
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